Made in China for the world… BMW iX3

July 15, 2020July 15, 2020 John Carey 3048 Views BMW electric SUV, BMW EV, BMW iX3

Build ’em where people will buy ’em is long-established car industry wisdom. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the new BMW iX3 is made in China.

A factory at Shenyang, a joint venture between BMW and Chinese company Brilliance, is the only place the EV will be produced.

BMW iX3 assembly line in Shenyang, China

The Chinese market for plug-in vehicles is the biggest in the world by far. In 2019 almost 1.2 million EVs and PHEVs were sold there.

China buys twice as many plug-in vehicles as all of Europe and nearly four times as many as the USA. The global total of EV and PHEV sales in 2019, by the way, was around 2.3 million.

BMW iX3 battery and electric motor components — With a single electric motor driving the rear wheels, the BMW iX3 is being produced in China and will go on sale in Australia in mid-2021

“Since we expect China to be responsible for about two-thirds of total BMW iX3 sales, it is only natural that we start production for the car in China,” explained BMW electromobility spokesman Wieland Bruch.

“So far we have produced many models for the Chinese market in China,” he went on. But the iX3 is the first-ever Made in China BMW to be exported to other global markets, Bruch said.

“However, for the customer it will not be possible to distinguish nowadays whether any BMW is being produced in the States, in Germany, or in one of our other worldwide plants. The criteria for build quality are the same all around the world.”

Even if it is impossible to tell where the iX3 was made, China’s influence on the EV’s specification is obvious.

The new BMW will be produced with a single motor driving its rear wheels, while competitors like the Mercedes-Benz EQC feature high-performance dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrains.

BMW iX3 leaving the factory in Shenyang, China

This is a deliberate choice by BMW, which has closely studied the Chinese market, admitted iX3 product manager Rebecca Gross. AWD “is not necessarily a requirement” there, she said.

“We think and believe our customers will decide for the iX3 because of its roominess or versatility, also its elevated seating position,” Gross went on.

But this doesn’t mean there will never be an iX3 with AWD. “Our architecture is very flexible, and gives us a lot of possibilities,” replied iX3 project boss Arno Keller when asked if it would be possible to install a second electric motor in the front axle of the SUV.

“Up to now we haven’t made any decision…”

John Carey

Grew up in country NSW, way back when petrol was laced with lead. Has written about cars and the car business for more than 35 years, working full-time and freelance for leading mags, major newspapers and websites in Australia and (sometimes) overseas. Avidly interested in core EV technologies like motors and batteries, and believes the switch to electromobility definitely should be encouraged. Is waiting patiently for someone to make a good and affordable EV that will fit inside his tiny underground garage in northern Italy, where he's lived for the past decade. Likes the BMW i3, but it's just too damned wide...